Most Popular
1500 questions
20
votes
3 answers
How do Russia, China, Japan, and India track their spacecraft?
NASA and the ESA have Deep Space Networks that circle the globe enabling them to track their spacecraft constantly. However, Russia, China, India, and possibly also Japan, only list tracking stations within their national borders. While China is…
coleopterist
- 6,043
- 5
- 37
- 65
20
votes
3 answers
How does astronaut activity from within affect a spacecraft?
Can physical activity from within a space craft affect it somehow? For example if somebody on the ISS performs repairs involving a lot of hammering, would it perhaps affect the station's orientation a little bit? The vibrations can't be a good thing…
coleopterist
- 6,043
- 5
- 37
- 65
20
votes
2 answers
How fast could a person run on the Moon?
Measures of the vertical and horizontal vectors of athletes running shows that once they get up to speed the ratio of vertical to horizontal exertion is about 4:1. This paper by Jean-Benoit Morin Ph.D. gave data using the latest measurement…
kim holder
- 21,377
- 9
- 85
- 188
20
votes
1 answer
How much of a commercial space launch can be insured?
When Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket exploded at Wallops Island just six seconds after launch, the loss of the rocket and spacecraft was estimated at more than $200 million, not including damage to the launch pad.
According to Forbes, some of the…
Bruce James
- 987
- 1
- 7
- 16
20
votes
1 answer
Why is the Angara rocket called eco-friendly?
I've read several articles about the new Angara rocket, that called it clean/eco-friendly. I know it runs on kerosene (and LOX), which is not super-toxic like hydrazine, but still... it's polluting the air, right?
Also, I've never heard…
zord
- 303
- 2
- 7
20
votes
4 answers
Who navigates the ISS?
The ISS orbits around the world. Do astronauts fly the ISS on Earth's orbit like a plane pilot? If it wanted, could the ISS go to a specific part of the world apart from the the usual orbit? Does the ISS need powerful fuel while orbiting?
Beyhan Çıtak
- 311
- 1
- 5
20
votes
3 answers
Why do the boot prints on the moon appear bright in some photographs or film?
I've seen that in some videos or photos of the moon mission, the boot prints appear brighter relative to the untouched ground:
But in some other cases, they are the same brightness as the ground:
Is there a specific name for this phenomenon?
spaceamoeba1010
- 565
- 4
- 9
20
votes
1 answer
Why are the Martian poles not covered by dust?
The Martian surface is known to have periodic 'dust storms'.
Depictions of Mars typically show poles with ice at the surface. If that is the case why are the Martian poles not blanketed with a thick layer of dust? Or is this depiction of ice…
Duke O
- 341
- 1
- 8
20
votes
2 answers
How much does it cost to return 1 kg from the ISS to the Earth? What are the parameters influencing this price?
I heard in a few places downmass is a limiting factor in the ISS national lab capacity. Is that true?
According to NASA's pricing plan, it actually costs more to get downmass than upmass. Why is that?
nadav zilberman
- 201
- 2
- 3
20
votes
1 answer
Weird 2010s concept for a helicopter/rocket hybrid
I remember reading in the 2010s about a company that was building a traffic cone shaped rocket that would first ascend to the upper atmosphere with helicopter blades attached on the tip, then retract its wings and complete the rest of the ascent to…
qazwsx
- 942
- 7
- 18
20
votes
0 answers
Have astronauts ever used the helmet-to-helmet technique to talk to one another in vacuum?
Science Fiction has long written about this communication technique in vacuum: Astronauts touch their helmet against another astronaut's helmet, so that sound will transmit through that physical connection and they can to talk to each other without…
KarlKastor
- 2,163
- 20
- 27
20
votes
6 answers
What are some of the obsolete technologies that space agencies used in day-to-day work during the 1960s?
This may be a vague question, please let me know if more info is needed.
As we know, NASA put a man on the moon using technologies that we no longer use, like slide rules and entire teams of people performing very specific computations. What are…
HFOrangefish
- 319
- 2
- 5
20
votes
4 answers
Why can't you travel to Mars in a straight line?
I had two questions regarding choosing a path to Mars. Firstly:
I wanted to have a look at the mathematics behind the reason as to why we choose Hohmann's transfer over a journey that is a straight line from Earth to Mars. Is moving at high speeds…
Ryan
- 459
- 3
- 9
20
votes
1 answer
Has Buzz Aldrin’s Line-of-Sight rendezvous method ever been used?
Has Buzz Aldrin’s Line-of-Sight rendezvous method ever been used?
Buzz Aldrin’s 1963 doctoral thesis describes a line-of-sight (LOS) rendezvous technique which is independent of computer and radar ranging input. Basically, it uses a sight reticule,…
Woody
- 21,532
- 56
- 146
20
votes
3 answers
What would a lunar eclipse look like from the surface of the moon?
The Earth would have a thin red ring around it, where sunlight is scattered by the atmosphere, right? Would the corona of the sun be very visible?
kim holder
- 21,377
- 9
- 85
- 188